Rubber heel



Nov. 10, 1925. v 1,560,583

w. J. KENT RUBBER HEEL Filed July 27, 1923 Fig 1.

Y 0 Fly/2.

INVENTOR By Attorneys,

nectlng tie Patented Nov. 10; 1925.

wILLIax J. KENT, or naooxLYN, New You.

RUBBER HEEL.

Application filed July 27, 1928. Serial No. 654,175.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, WILLIAMJ. KENT, a citizen of the United States of America, residin in Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and tate of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rubber Heels, of which the following fication.

This invention relates to heels of plastic com osition, such as rubber heels for boots or s oes. Such heels usually have on their outer or tread portion recesses or depressions throu h which to insert nails for nailing the heeIto the shoe, and they commonly have metal washers embedded about midway the thickness of the heel at the bottoms of these de ressions to receive the heads of the nails which fasten them to the shoeand distribute the pressure thereof to the adjoining portions of the composition. In the molding of the heels these washers have to be separately placed within the mold 0n gau 'ng pins, which is a ver slow and trou lesome operation. Accor ing to the present invention the washers are connected together by integral intervening tie portions so as to form a sin le punching, so that the entire series of was ers (usually about eight in number) may be handled asone, thus saving much time and facilitating and cheapening the manufacture; while the conrtions are made so pliable that in the finis ed heel they have no function and do not impair the normal pliability or resilience of the rubber cushion.

In the accompanyin drawings,-

Figure 1 is a vertica section of the mold, shown the washers in place and the block or blan of rubber laid over them and partly within the mold cavity, and the top section or follower above the blank.

Fig. 2 is a mid-section of the heel.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal mid-section thereof. 7

Fig. 4 shows in face and edge views the connected washers.

Fig. dis a plan or bottom view of the heel, and

Figs. 6 and 7 show modifications connected washers.

The heel A is of any suitable rubber compositionor other plastic material, and has metal washers B B embedded within it about midway of its thickness in quite the usual wa except that these washers (which may be'ilat or cupped, as desired) are conis a speciof the nected together by intervening tie portions C, so that they form an integral punching D, shown in Flg. 4. The heel has the usual recesses or depressions E E coinciding with the holes in the washers through which to drive nails for nailing on the heel.

In the manufacture of such heels a mold isused, a fragment of which is shownin section in Fig. 1, where F is the bottom pIlate, G is a detachable cavity plate, and

is the top plate or follower. Usually 36 (or other convenient number) of heel cavities are formed in the plate G (only one being shown), and the plate F is formed with as many-pins I' I projecting into each cavity, as the required number of washersese' pins are made with a larger portion to form the cavity E, and a. reduced portion to enter through the holes in the washersto hold them in place. When the washers are in place the heel blanks, one of which is shown at A, are placed partly in the cavities resting on the pins, as shown. vWhen all of the blanks are thus placed, the follower H is laid on. The bottom plate F has.

suitable dowel pins J entering holes in the other plates for properly registering the plates. The multlple mold is then placed 1n a suitable vulcanizing press-on a steam heated table, whereby the rubber com osition is rendered plastic, and the press gradually forces down the follower that'the mass of rubber flows into the mold cavity and around the pins and washers. The mold is continued under heat and ressure until the vulcanization of the ru ber composition is completed. The mold is then removed from the press, the follower H taken off, the cavity plate G lifted off from the bottom plate F, and the completed heels pushed out of the cavities, whereupon the plate G is replaced and the same operation is repeated. While one com site mold is undergoig the heat, another uplicate mold is being emptied, resupplied with washers, and re-char ed with the heelblanks.

In the ordinary method where the washers are separate disks, the operation of placing these in position on the pins is slow and requires considerable care. It often happens that one or more washers are drop ed, and because the pins andmold are hot it is dilficult to 'ick up such washers and prope'rly lacet em, even when a magnet .is used for t is purpose. In order to re-charge one mold while the other is undergoing the heat,

glut:

it is necessary for the ressman to have one or two assistants to ai him in this work, 'as 'otherwise it would take nearly twice as long to repare the mold as the time require durlng the heat, so that two molds would be outside the press while one mold was undergoing curing in the press.

By the present invention the washers are all connected together as one integral stamping, so that all of the washers can be put in osition in the time required to put a sin le individual washer in position. It resu ts from this that the pressman, alone and unaided, can'do all the work of preparing one mold whileanother'mold is undergoing the heat in the pressi This enables two molds to serve for one press, instead ,of re uiring either three molds or additional la r as heretofore. In fact, it would possible with this invention for one pressman to operate two presses, preparing the molds for both during the period required for the heat. Thus, my invention has the advantages of reducing the capital expenditure for molds one third, and saving all the cost of additional labor for assisting the pressman,

whereby very important economies are effected.

Chile the washers may be flat, as shown in the edge view in Fig. 4, yet it is preferable that the washers be cupped, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The cupped washers are laced in the mold in the manner shown in ig. 1, with their concave portions downward, so that their u per sides receive the ressure of the unvu canized block as the atter is forced down, and greatly diminish the resistance to the flow of the rubber. This is desirable as it reduces the strain upon the steel pins I, I, which hold the washers in lace. i

The intervening tie portions C, C, require to be made of such thinness, or so narrowand slender, that their sole function is to hold the washers in their proper relative positions before and while being placed on the after which they have no pins in the mold,

finished heel; it

perceptible function in the would defeat the purpose of my invention if they were to interfere in any wa with the liability or resiliency of the finished heel.

making these tie portions suitably slender, the finished heel is as resilient as if made with individual or disconnected washers.

While it is referable to connect all of the washers to t er in a single stamping, as shown in ig. 4, yet it is within the invention to subdivide this stamping into two sections in any suitable manner, as, shown in Fig. 6, for example. This, however, doubles the time required to place the washers on the pins, and is consequently less desirable.

The invention is not limited to the precise Figs. 4 and fied form, the arrangement shown in Fig. 7 is given, where the washers B B are arranged as before, and the tie portions consist of'a ring C connected by radiating ties 0 0 to the washers.

It will be understood that while the preferred means of practicing thei-nvention has holes and at a sufficient distance from the opposite faces of the block to afford a subarrangement of connecting ties shown 1n 6. As an illustration of a modistantial intervening cushion, and relatively slender-tie-portions connecting said washers, the washers and tie-portions being a single punching from a sheet of metal of uniform thickness, and the tie-portions being strong enough to connect the washers and hold them in spaced relation until placed in themould, while so liable as not to materially affect the pliability or cushioning action of the rubber heel.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto SlIl8d my name.

WILLIAM J. KENT. 

